For indoor sports, is a 70-200mm f/2.8 better than a slower 70-300mm with VR?
Asked 10/23/2010
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I’m shooting figure skating indoors on a Nikon D90. I bought a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 because I expected to need the wider aperture for sports, but in my rink I’m often getting usable exposures around 1/500s, ISO 800, and the camera is choosing roughly f/4 to f/5.6.
Because of that, I’m wondering whether I’d be better off switching to a less expensive 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR. The slower aperture seems close to what I’m actually using, and it would save money, but I know VR doesn’t freeze subject motion. I could also raise ISO to 1600 if needed.
For indoor sports like figure skating, should I keep the 70-200mm f/2.8, or is the slower 70-300mm with VR the better choice?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
11
Generally good advice with regard to IS and it's ability to freeze action. However I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the fact that some camera bodies have extra sensitive AF points that are only active with f/2.8 lenses. Thus if you have an f/2.8 lens, even if you end up shooting at f/4 or f/5.6 you are gaining an advantage from the max aperture in terms of focussing performance. This is why f/2.8 is the holy grail of sports lenses, it's not for the speed, it's the for the AF.
Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1375
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Keep the 70-200mm f/2.8 for indoor sports.
VR/IS helps reduce camera shake, not subject motion, so at 1/500s it offers little benefit for skating shots. For sports, the bigger advantages of the f/2.8 lens are:
- better ability to maintain fast shutter speeds if lighting gets worse in another rink
- better autofocus performance, since some cameras/lens combinations focus more effectively with a wider maximum aperture
- the option to shoot at f/2.8 for background blur and subject separation when you want it
Even if you often end up at f/4 or f/5.6, the lens being capable of f/2.8 still helps focusing and gives you headroom. A slower 70-300mm may be fine in bright conditions, but indoors you may quickly wish you still had the faster lens.
If the rink lighting is consistent, consider using manual exposure or shutter priority while deliberately testing wider apertures like f/2.8. In short: for indoor sports, a fast lens is usually more valuable than VR.
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